USDA Designates 25 Counties Primary Natural Disaster Areas

WASHINGTON, March 30, 2017 — In response to a request from Brian Haugen, Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) acting State Executive Director in North Dakota, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated 25 counties in North Dakota as primary natural disaster areas due to losses caused by multiple disasters that occurred in the 2016 crop year.

Disaster Number 1:  USDA has designated Adams, Billings, Emmons, Golden Valley, Grant, Sioux, Slope and Stark counties in North Dakota as primary natural disaster areas due to losses caused by drought that occurred from April 1, 2016, through Oct. 1, 2016.

Farmers and ranchers in Bowman, Burleigh, Dunn, Hettinger, Kidder, Logan, McIntosh, McKenzie, Mercer and Morton counties in North Dakota also qualify for natural disaster assistance because their counties are contiguous.

Farmers and ranchers in the following counties in Montana and South Dakota also qualify for natural disaster assistance because their counties are contiguous. Those counties are:

Montana: Fallon and Wibaux

South Dakota: Campbell, Corson, Harding and Perkins

Disaster Number 2:  USDA has designated 15 counties in North Dakota as primary natural disaster areas due to losses caused by excessive rain, high winds, tornados and hail that occurred from Jan. 1, 2016, through Nov. 15, 2016. Those counties are:

Benson	McIntosh	Steele
Burke	McKenzie	Towner
Cavalier	Pembina	Traill
Divide	Ramsey	Walsh
Grand Forks	Rolette	Ward

Farmers and ranchers in the following counties in North Dakota also qualify for natural disaster assistance because their counties are contiguous. Those counties are:

Barnes	Dunn	LaMoure	Nelson
Billings	Eddy	Logan	Pierce
Bottineau	Emmons	McHenry	Renville
Cass	Golden Valley	McLean	Wells
Dickey	Griggs	Mountrail	Williams

Farmers and ranchers in the following counties in Minnesota, Montana and South Dakota also qualify for natural disaster assistance because their counties are contiguous. Those counties are:

Minnesota: Kittson, Marshall, Norman and Polk

Montana: Richland, Roosevelt, Sheridan and Wibaux

South Dakota: Campbell and McPherson

Disaster Number 3:  USDA has designated Hettinger and Oliver counties in North Dakota as primary natural disaster areas due to losses caused by frost and freeze followed by excessive heat that occurred from March 15, 2016, through June 15, 2016.

Farmers and ranchers in Adams, Burleigh, Grant, McLean, Mercer, Morton, Slope and Stark counties in NorthDakota also qualify for natural disaster assistance because their counties are contiguous.

All counties listed above were designated natural disaster areas on Feb. 15, 2017, making all qualified farm operators in the designated areas eligible for FSA’s low emergency (EM) loans, provided eligibility requirements are met. Farmers in eligible counties have eight months from the date of the declaration to apply for loans to help cover part of their actual losses. FSA will consider each loan application on its own merits, taking into account the extent of losses, security available and repayment ability. FSA has a variety of programs, in addition to the EM loan program, to help eligible farmers recover from adversity.

Other FSA programs that can provide assistance, but do not require a disaster declaration, include Operating and Farm Ownership Loans; the Emergency Conservation Program; Livestock Forage Disaster Program;Livestock Indemnity Program; Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program; and the Tree Assistance Program. Interested farmers may contact their local USDA service centers for further information on eligibility requirements and application procedures for these and other programs. Additional information is also available online at http://disaster.fsa.usda.gov.

USDA Approves 8,300 More Acres in Minnesota for Wildlife Habitat

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Nov. 25, 2014 — U.S. Department of Agriculture Minnesota Farm Service Agency (FSA) Executive Director Debra Crusoe, today announced that 8,300 acres in Minnesota are now available for wildlife habitat improvement incentives. 

“We can accept more applications to enroll more acres in Minnesota for farmers and ranchers interested in protecting local pheasant and prairie chicken habitat,” said Crusoe. “In exchange for creating more grassland for these rural species, USDA will provide participating landowners with rental payments and help with expenses.”

This opportunity comes from the State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement (SAFE) program, part of the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) whereby Farm Service Agency contracts with landowners so that environmentally sensitive land is not farmed or ranched, but instead used for conservation.

Program participants establish long-term plant species to control soil erosion, improve water quality, or strengthen declining wildlife populations. In return, participants receive annual rental payments between 10 and 15 years.

The SAFE program allows state fish and wildlife agencies, non-profit organizations and other conservation partners to target the Conservation Reserve Program within distinct geographic areas to help wildlife. SAFE is limited to 1.35 million acres nationally, with 97 projects in 36 states and Puerto Rico.

Interested landowners can enroll acres in a designated wildlife project in their state at any time. Participants and land must meet certain eligibility requirements. Other restrictions may apply. For additional details, contact your local Farm Service Agency office at offices.usda.gov or visit the website at www.fsa.usda.gov/conservation.

USDA Announces Cutest Birds Photo Contest

This fall and winter, bird lovers with charming chickens, delightful ducks or fine feathered friends can show them off in an online photo contest sponsored by the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).

The USDA’s Biosecurity For Birds Campaign is inviting backyard poultry owners and other bird enthusiasts to compete for bragging rights by entering the Cutest Birds Photo Contest.  Submit JPEG files at http://healthybirds.aphis.usda.gov in two categories: 

1.     Cutest chicken or bird

2.     Cutest bird couple or family

The four month contest begins in December and continues through March 2014.  At the end of each month, the winning photo in each category will be posted on the Biosecurity For Birds web site.  The winners will be considered for inclusion on the 2015 Biosecurity For Birds Calendar.  For an entry form, contest rules and more information visit http://healthybirds.aphis.usda.gov

The Biosecurity For Birds program began in 2004 and is designed to educate backyard poultry owners and exotic bird enthusiasts about highly contagious poultry diseases and other threats to birds.  The program helps inform bird lovers how to prevent disease and tells them what to do if they suspect their birds are infected.

MN specialty crop producers & programs get boost from USDA

ST. PAUL, Minn. – The State of Minnesota has been awarded more than $700,000 in 2012 Specialty Crop Block Grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Specialty crops include fruits, vegetables, culinary herbs and spices, medicinal plants, tree nuts, flowers, and nursery plants (horticulture and floriculture). The grants will give producers of these crops a competitive edge in today’s marketplace.

The Specialty Crop Block Grant Program for fiscal year 2012 supports initiatives that:

• Increase nutritional knowledge and specialty crop consumption
• Improve efficiency within the distribution system and reduce costs
• Promote the development of good agricultural, handling and manufacturing practices while encouraging audit fund cost-sharing for small farmers, packers and processors
• Support research through standard and green initiatives
• Enhance food safety
• Develop new/improved seed varieties and specialty crops
• Control pests and diseases
• Create organic and sustainable production practices
• Establish local and regional fresh food systems
• Expand food access in underserved/food desert communities

All 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and the U.S. Virgin Islands received grants this year, totaling $55 million.

Visit www.ams.usda.gov/scbgp to review the 2012 project summaries and view a list of all the awards, including the Minnesota projects.